Photographed and styled by Sunny Frantz
This lush Pumpkin Chai Layer Cake is brought to you by Annemarie Maitri, owner of Bloom Bake Shop in Madison. She graciously provided the recipe, below:
- 2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. ginger
- 2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. clove
- 12 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 2/3 C. sugar
- 5 eggs
- 2 Tbsp. vanilla
- 1 C. whole milk
- 2 C. pumpkin puree
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Combine eggs. Don’t over-mix batter. Slowly incorporate the dry mix, alternating with the milk and vanilla, ending with dry. Add the pumpkin puree. Mix well. Batter should be smooth and silky.
Pour batter into three 6” cake pans (sprayed with oil), fill halfway. Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. (Use leftover batter for cupcakes).
Chai Buttercream Recipe
Find your favorite vanilla buttercream recipe and add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
When the cake layers are completely cool, level their tops. Frost first layer, then add and frost each additional layer. Using an offset, scrape the sides clean. This is your “crumb coat.” Chill for about 20 minutes. Once chilled add another layer of frosting. Pull clean.
Candied Pumpkin Seeds/Pepitas Recipe (this can be done ahead of time)
- 1 C. raw pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas)
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 C. sugar
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Melt butter in a medium sized skillet. Place all ingredients on top of the melted butter. Stir with spoon for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Once all pepitas are covered with the spiced sugar and butter, turn off heat. Spread pepitas in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Let stand at room temperature for about 2 hours. Garnish with candied pepitas.
